I work as a screenwriter for film & TV. In a former life I was a media specialist & campaign ad writer. Follow me on Twitter @MarkHughesFilms; add me on Google+; and read my question and answers about film, comics, and more on Quora.

Top 10 Best Monster Horror Movies Of All Time

Here we are for another Halloween horror film list, dear readers. I’ve already provided you with the best slasher movies and the best ghost movies, so it’s time to continue this year’s Halloween film fest with the greatest monster movies ever made!

Let me lay some ground rules. First, I didn’t include zombie films, because I already gave you a great big list full of the best zombie movies, shows, and books of all time earlier this year (when the news was full of crazy zombie stories). I also didn’t include vampire or werewolf movies, because I have separate lists for those (coming soon).

And I’m not including alien movies where the sci-fi elements were particularly prominent, because I have a separate list for the best sci-fi horror movies (which you’ll be seeing later this week), although a couple of films on this list are technically also science fiction.

I did my best to make distinctions and not overlap other lists, and to focus on scary monsters in an otherwise mostly-normal world — with emphasis on scary, because some films with big monsters (such as King Kong and Jurassic Park) just don’t feel like horror movies for Halloween.

Lastly, I usually try to keep my lists focused on feature films, but on occasion a TV movie or mini-series is so good that I just have to include it, and that’s the case here with one entry (one of two great Stephen King adaptations on this list).

So, without further ado, here are the top 10 monster movies of all time!

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I love your articles Mark. Seeing IT on your list is wonderful. Jessica, so many folks have a predisposition to the story, because of the effect Pennywise the Clown had on them. I think Stephen King is amazing because of his ability to reach into my mind and tap into those particular senses; I like the way he plays with my mind. In fact, this year for Halloween I’m sharing my devotion by having some coworkers of mine from DISH over to watch a bunch of King movies. I have a lot of his books and have considered buying his movies, which would be great but also a little too expensive. I think I’ll rent my Stephen King movies from Blockbuster @Home, saving me a lot of money, which I need for the other party stuff. This is going to be an awesome Halloween; IT is definitely one of the movies I’m renting for the party.

YES! That movie sucked…Aside from the Conjouring, Insidious, The Strangers, and the first Paranormal Activity (all missing from the list) I cant understand why Cabin in the Woods would be on your list…

Did you not read the article? Even the title says it pretty clearly — these are the 10 best MONSTER movies, not just horror in general. I even explain what I mean by “monsters” if you read the article. I literally spend four paragraphs at the start explaining how I picked movies and which subgenres of horror I didn’t include, then I include a fifth paragraph about the specific types of monsters at the end of the article. It seems like a lot of folks just jump ahead to the list itself without paying attention to the title of the article or the rest of the article explaining the choices.

You mention several ghost stories that simply don’t fit on this list. Also, you probably didn’t notice that “The Conjuring” came out 9 months after I wrote this list…? “Insidious” meanwhile is on another of my “best horror film” lists, FYI, as is “Paranormal Activity.” But the main point is, those films aren’t monster movies that fit the specific criteria for this list. I’ve got a bunch of horror movie lists — probably about 20 total! — about all different sorts of horror movie types and genres, so hopefully you’ll find some that are more to your liking. And I’ll have some new ones up this month as well, don’t worry!